Sold To The Boss: A Narcos Romance

Chapter 25

Rafael unlocked the SUV, his black slacks covered in dirt and his face and arms coated in a sheen of sweat. Between hearing Isabella's scream over the phone to demanding Francisco's helicopter and engaging in a stand-off gun fight, this was the first moment he'd had in hours to take a deep breath. Before he could reach for the car door handle, it flew open and Isabella nearly stumbled out, catching herself on the door handle before falling. Rafael took a step toward her, his eyes scanning for any sign of injury as he noticed dried blood splattered on her forearms.

"Isabella, are you hurt–"

"You left me!" Isabella charged him, pounding her delicate fists into his chest with rapid fire speed. It didn't hurt Rafael, not even a bit, but the surprise of her attack had him taking a step back before he managed to restrain her wrists in his hands and shove her up against the side of the bullet-ridden SUV.

"Carina–"

"Don't call me that."

"You said you loved me."

"I also said I hated you," Isabella glared up at him, her chin defiant and her eyes wild. The woman had just sat locked inside of a car while men rained down bullets around her.

"I didn't leave you," Rafael ground out his words, pressing his hips into Isabella to still her completely, "I was trying to protect you. To get you back home where you belong."

"Well do I look protected?" Her voice cracked but her stare didn't waiver as her chest rose and fell rapidly with short breaths.

"You aren't shot anywhere, are you?" Rafael began to run his hands down her sides, releasing her wrists and looking for injury.

"No. But if I hadn't called you–"

"Enough," Rafael cradled her throat in his hand, silencing her, "trust me, carina, I've already gone over and over every damn scenario in my mind and I'm exhausted from it. You're safe and you're not shot. We need to get out of here before more men come." Rafael noticed Isabella's eyes widened at the mention of more men coming and she swallowed so hard he could feel the movement of her throat against his palm.

"Is-is Ryan going to be–"

"He'll be fine." Rafael pushed away from Isabella, not liking the sight of concern on her face for another man. "You're worried about him?"

"He protected me. From Martín." Rafael hung his head with his hands on his hips before spitting into the dirt. He never trusted anyone in this world, but if there was ever a soul to get as close to trust as one could, it had been Martín. The guy was practically an uncle to him. But hearing Isabella's words, the adrenaline of fear still coursing through her body, he knew it was true. And he resented the fact that Ryan had been the one to kill Martín instead of him.

"Get in the car." Rafael looked Isabella up and down, wanting to throw her lithe body in the backseat of the SUV and fuck her on the side of the road like an animal. He wanted to drown himself in her, die with her underneath him if it came to that. But he knew that if someone shot him in the back, it would only be a matter of seconds before they harmed Isabella. And he hadn't survived this entire afternoon to let it all go for a simple fuck, no matter how badly he needed it.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here." Isabella pushed herself away from the car at Rafael's response, her eyes lingering on his face before she made her way over to the front passenger door, a shiver running up her spine at seeing Luca's dead and bleeding body, face down just a few feet away.

"Don't look, carina."

"Too late." Isabella's voice was small as she climbed into the vehicle. Luca had hardly been a friend but he'd fired his gun to protect them, even though he disagreed with how Ryan had handled Martín. Loyalty in this world was weird that way. You could hate and resent someone with every fiber of your being and still take a bullet for them. She respected it even though the thought made her sick.